Through the Glass Window
by khollyk
Summary: Daniel always enjoys watching Betty through the glass window that separates their two desks, but what happens Becks begins enjoying Betty as well? Is she really 'just Betty' or maybe something more?
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER: **Unfortunately, I don't own Ugly Betty, or any of the characters. However, I wouldn't mind owning my very own Daniel Meade. :)

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**Author's Note: **Here's my second attempt at fanfiction, so please, review and tell me what you think! The more reviews I get, the more motivated I am to write quickly! Enjoy!

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"Thanks, Betty," Daniel said as she handed him his coffee and bagel. "I'm starving."

"You're welcome," she said laughing. "But if you're always so hungry in the mornings, you could always eat _before_ coming to work, like the rest of us."

"Yeah, but that would involve me going to the grocery store..." he replied as he wiped a bit of cream cheese of the corner of his mouth.

"Well, heaven forbid Daniel Meade be caught in the grocery store..."she laughed as she walked out of his office.

He followed her out, bagel in hand. "But Betty, if you don't like getting me my bagel in the morning, I could always..." he stopped to swallow.

"What, get your own bagel?" she mocked him with a smile.

"Well, no. I was gonna say we could get Amanda to do it," he said with a sheepish grin.

Betty laughed, "No, Daniel, it's fine. I'm your assistant, and if you need a bagel, I'll get it for you."

"Well, thank you. Besides, they just taste better when you get them. That week you were in Mexico, I actually did get them myself, all week and they just didn't taste the same," he said as he sat himself on the edge of her desk.

Betty looked at him with a raised eyebrow, "That's ridiculous, Daniel."

"No, really. Everyday I went down to that little breakfast cart in the lobby and brought it back up here and it just wasn't nearly as good."

She smiled as she shook her head and stood up, and began making her way back into Daniel's office, "It's probably because that's not where I get your bagels. You don't like them from that breakfast cart."

"I don't?" he asked as he followed her back into his office.

"No, I used to get them from there but remember you started saying they were 'flavorless'? Now I get them from the little bakery across the street," she said matter of factly as she picked up a file off of his desk and held it against her chest.

"Huh," he said, pausing for a moment. "Well, what would I do without you, Betty?"

"Starve, I guess," she said with a smile, as she left his office, sat back down at her desk and started looking through the file.

He stood and watched her through the glass that separated them and silently laughed as she went through the papers, one, two, and three times, clearly looking for something that wasn't in the folder. Finally, he took his 'Letter from the Editor' that he had written the previous night out of his briefcase and walked out of his office and over to his assistant's desk. "Looking for something?" he said smugly as he handed her the piece of paper.

She looked up at him, "I thought you had forgotten to write it again," she said with a smirk.

"I know," he said, as he put his hands in his pockets and watched as she began reading.

After a few minutes she said "You know, Daniel, this is really good. If you keep up this work, I may soon be out of a job."

"Nah, I'll still need someone to get me my bagel," he teased, as she flashed her one of his famous 'Daniel Meade' smiles.

She rolled her eyes and turned around, but even from the back he could tell she was smiling. He turned and started back to his office when he remembered, "Oh, Betty. I thought I'd let you know that my friend Becks is going to be stopping in today around 11:00, and since I know you hate him I was thinking maybe you could head down to the closet around that time and check out the outfits Christina's chosen for the Reese Witherspoon cover shoot tomorrow."

"I don't hate him," Betty replied.

Daniel raised his eyebrows.

"Okay, maybe a little," she said, smiling. "Thanks, Daniel. I'll be in closet, if you need me."

The phone rang and Betty answered it, and began writing furiously on her bright yellow memo pad. After watching, amused for a few minutes, Daniel finally turned and went back into his office. He sat down in his chair and laughed out loud when he noticed Betty, looking extremely frustrated, holding the phone out about a foot away from her ear as the person on the phone continued rambling on. Betty heard him and smiled as she shook her head.

Daniel rolled his eyes in sympathy and thought to himself, 'What would I do without her?'.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: Thank you so much for all of the wonderful reviews! I appreciate them so very much! Hope you enjoy this chapter -- let me know what you think!**

* * *

"Hello, allo," Betty heard from behind her. 

She turned around and saw Daniel's incredibly handsome, although repulsively annoying and cruel friend, Becks, standing against the wall behind her desk. She quickly looked back at the clock sitting on her desk – 10:45, _'Damn, he's early,'_ she thought to herself.

"Hello Becks," she said in her best 'fake sweet' voice as she looked through the glass that separated her desk from her boss'. "Daniel's on a call right now, but he should be done in a few minutes, but I'm sure he won't mind if you go ahead on in," she hinted.

"Eh, I can't stand 'Mode' Daniel...I'll just wait until he's off the phone," he replied, looking her up and down. "I see Daniel's upgraded assistants...his last one was..." he trailed off as he rolled his eyes and stuck out his tongue. "How long have you been here?"

Betty stood and put her hands on her hips, "I'm the only assistant Daniel's had," she said as she raised an eyebrow.

"No, there was one before you. She was frumpy looking with big glasses and braces and crazy hair," he reached forward and attempted to push Betty's hair behind her ear, as she swiped his hand away. "But you're actually pretty cute...and kinda feisty. I like that," he said as he flashed her his playboy smile.

"I got my braces taken off a few weeks ago and I let my sister style my hair for a beauty school project, but it's not really much different. And I'm still wearing the glasses," Betty retorted as she stepped around him and stood on the opposite side of her desk. "But I'm still the same --," she mimicked him by rolling her eyes and sticking out her tongue as he had done, "assistant."

He followed her around the desk, "Well, well, do forgive me my fair lady," he said in his best dashing, old movie voice. She rolled her eyes, and tried to hold back the smile that was spreading across her face. "I must have been blinded by the..." he stopped a second to think. "Glare of your braces," he jokingly said as she reached for her hand and lightly kissed it.

Betty laughed, "Okay, okay, fine."

* * *

"Sounds good, Fabia," Daniel said into the phone. "I look forward to our meeting next week. Goodbye." 

He was about to intercom Betty to let her know to book his meeting with Fabia for next Thursday when he looked out at her and noticed her in a heated discussion with Becks. He smiled and leaned back in his chair _'This should be interesting,'_ he thought.

He watched as Becks tried to touch Betty's hair, and laughed to himself when Betty swiped his hand away and continued ranting, stepping over Becks' feet to stand on the other side of the desk. Suddenly he noticed Becks walk around the desk as he was saying something that made Betty – smile? But it wasn't just any smile, it was the smile where she halfway rolled her eyes, as if she were unpleased, but couldn't help it and finally gave in and broke into a smile. The smile that he had never seen her give anyone before, except for himself.

_'What is going on?'_ he thought incredulously. Then he watched as Becks took Betty's hand and kissed it, and she started laughing.

_'Okay, that's it,' _he said to himself as she quickly stood up and walked out of his office, stopping at the doorway. "Becks!" he said, forcing a smile onto his face.

Betty quickly stopped laughing, and Becks gently put her hand down and turned around. "Ah, Danny Boy," he replied as he walked over and stuck out his hand. "It's been quite awhile, how've ya been?"

"Good, good. Come on in," he said, motioning for Becks to come into his office. He then turned to Betty, who guiltily smiled at him as she walked back around her desk and sat down. Unsure of what to do, he half-heartedly smiled back and followed Becks back into his office. As he sat down and Becks began a story about some trip he had just returned from, he looked through the glass at Betty who was flipping through a folder on her desk.

To anyone else, she would have looked completely normal, just doing her job. But not to Daniel –he could see the slight rosy color of her cheeks, the sparkle in her eye and the way that the corners of her mouth were slightly upturned, as if she just couldn't wipe away the smile that Becks had put on her face.

And he didn't like it.

_Not at all._


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: Hope you enjoy this installment...I realize it may drag a bit, but the dragging was a bit necessary to get where I'm going with this. I promise next chapter will be better! And please...continue the reviews, they just make my day! I love my readers:)**

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"Wow, Becks, it sounds like it was an amazing trip," Daniel said, leaning farther back in his chair.

"Yeah, it was," he looked at his watch, "I had better get going...but first," he paused. "What's the scoop on your assistant?" he said, looking over his shoulder out the window at her.

"Betty? She's just...Betty," he answered back, gazing over Becks' shoulder at Betty talking animatedly on the phone.

"No, man. What's her situation? Is she single?" he asked, a sly grin appearing across his handsome face.

Slightly shocked, Daniel stood up and ran his hand through the back of his hair, "Um, yeah, I guess she is. Her ex moved to Tucson about six months ago, and she hasn't really seen anyone since then..."

"Nice...maybe you could put in a good word for me?" Becks said as he raised his eyebrows and jokingly punched Daniel in the arm.

Daniel turned and faced his friend, "She's not really your type, Becks. She's..." he trailed. "Betty's a one of a kind, not just some girl you sleep with and never call again...she's a good girl."

"You know, Daniel ever since you became big 'Editor-in-Chief, Daniel Meade,' you've kind of forgotten about all of the guys. It's been awhile since we've hung out...you've clearly changed, and well, so have I. I've grown up. Not my type?," he said, pausing to look back at Betty. "You don't even know my type anymore, Daniel. Sure, she's not exactly model material, but she's funny as hell and quick as a whip with those comebacks..." he stopped, and both men were quiet for a moment, before Becks added, "And if she's so great, why aren't you with her?"

Daniel stared inquisitively at his friend for a moment, then turned and propped himself against the front edge of his desk, facing the window that separated them from his assistant. Oblivious to the fact that she was being watched, Betty continued her conversation on the phone as she rummaged through her desk drawers, clearly in search of something. He smiled as she quickly switched ears and pushed her dark brown hair behind her ear. He'd always liked her long, thick hair, even before Hilda had styled it with a few long layers and side swept bangs, making it clearly more stylish.

"Me and Betty? She's just...Betty. She doesn't think of me like that," he said. "And I don't think of her in that way either," he quickly added, standing upright. "We're friends. Besides, even if I did think of her like that, she's way too good for a couple of punks like us," he smiled, hoping Becks would find the humor in his joke.

Becks smiled back in a friendly sort of way, clearly unconvinced, "Speak for yourself, Danny Boy," he said as he turned and walked out of Daniel's office, towards Betty's desk.

Daniel, close on his heels, followed him out. Betty looked up as the two men stood waiting for her to get off the phone. She gave a helpless smile as the person on the other end of the phone continued rambling on. After a moment, she covered the mouthpiece and whispered, "Lindsay's back in rehab. Again," she rolled her eyes. "Guess we'll have to find a new October cover..." She uncovered the mouthpiece, finally interrupting, "Okay, well give Lindsay our love, and all of us here at Mode hope she makes a full and speedy recovery...uh huh...okay...bye!" she finished as she quickly hung up the phone. "Her publicist just wouldn't shut up!" she said, laughing.

Becks laughed and then sat on the edge of her desk, blocking her view of Daniel completely. "So, Betty, have you tried that new restaurant, Southern Hospitality on the upper east side?"

"Isn't that the restaurant that Justin Timberlake just opened up?" she asked.

"Yeah, that's the one. I take it your boss hasn't taken you up there yet?" he said, turning back to glance at Daniel, who was clearly not amused. "Well I hear that their corn on the cob is excellent, and in honor of you just getting your braces off, I feel compelled to take you."

Betty laughed, "That's really unnecessary, Becks. But thanks."

"Oh, I insist. Shall we say...Friday at noon?" he asked, standing up.

"Well, if you insist...okay. Friday it is."

"Great, can't wait," he said, smiling at Betty. He turned to Daniel, "Catch ya later, Danny."

Daniel said nothing, but raised an eyebrow as he watched Becks disappear around the corner. Then Daniel turned to Betty, who was looking at him questionably. Unsure of what to say, he continued to stare at her for a second longer and then quickly turned on his heel and walked back into his office. He started to continue back to his desk, when he quickly turned around and did something he hadn't done before – shut the door that separated his desk from his assistant's. As he sat down at his desk he quickly stole a glance at Betty. Confusion and hurt were written all over her face.

He turned to his computer and stared at his screen saver. _'Becks and Betty? Betty and...Becks?' _

He grabbed the mock up of the next issue off the corner of his desk and laid it open in front of him. He bent his head down, towards the book, but moved his eyes up, looking towards Betty. She was turned, facing her computer, but from the way her hands were moving across the keyboard, he could tell she wasn't really typing anything. Normally, he would have used this opportunity to buzz her on the intercom, to tease her, letting her know she had been caught. But now just wasn't the time.

'_What does Becks want with her?'_ he thought to himself as he continued watching her. Sure, she was a cute girl – it hadn't taken long for even Daniel to figure that one out, once he got past the crazy sweaters and brightly colored scarves. The way her eyes always conveyed every emotion she was feeling, and the way her smile lit up even the darkest room were the first things he had noticed about her. However, after a while he started noticing the little things, like the way her lips tightened when she was trying to hold in a smile, or the way she would take off her glasses and rub her temples after a long phone call. He even enjoyed the way she put her hands on her hips and looked up at him when she lectured him. And those certain smiles she usually reserved just for him...one of which she had given Becks just earlier...

Daniel shook his head and turned around in his chair, facing the window, looking down onto the busy street below. _'Why am I stressing over this? It's just...Betty. Just your assistant. Just your friend. Just your...Betty.' _


	4. Chapter 4

Daniel's thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. He turned around in his chair to see Betty's face through the small circular window and motioned for her to come in as he turned back in his chair to face the city below.

"I'm going to lunch. Do you want anything?" she asked, still standing in the doorway.

"No," he replied, still facing the the window.

"Okay," she said, not leaving her spot in the doorway. After a moment of silence she walked across the room, picked up the extra chair sitting in the corner and carried it over to the window, placing it next to Daniel's, and sat down. "Daniel..." she began.

He couldn't help but smile as he noticed what she had done, "Yes, Betty?"

"What's the matter? And don't lie, and say nothing, because you _know _I know it's not true," she asked smugly, with a hint of a smile.

"Really, Betty. Nothing. I'm just...thinking," he replied, looking down at his hands.

Betty stayed silent, waiting for either a better excuse, or the truth –whichever came first. Suddenly, Daniel broke the silence, "Betty, why did you say you'd go out with Becks?"

_'Aha!'_ she silently thought. "I don't know. I just figured, 'why not'? It's been six months since Henry left, and the only man I've had buy me a meal is you," she said, with a laugh. "Why? Does it bother you that we're having lunch?"

Daniel pushed his chair behind him and stood up, "No. I just can't figure out what he wants with you. It's just...you're not really the type of girl Becks normally takes to lunch..." he said, but before even finishing the sentence, he knew it was the wrong thing to say.

Betty proved him right by pushing her chair back and standing up as well, "Exactly what type of girl does Becks 'normally' take to lunch, Daniel?"

Daniel turned to face her. "I didn't mean it like that, Betty," he said softly.

"No, Daniel! What type? Pretty ones?!" she exclaimed.

"You know the type—beautiful, six foot blondes with big boobs and long legs. But Betty--"

She interrupted him, "So because I'm not tall, or blonde, or...or..._beautiful _he can't possibly be interested?" she continued. "Heaven forbid he want to take out your short, four eyed, _ugly_ assistant!" She turned around and started for the door, knowing that Daniel was right behind her.

"Betty, c'mon. I didn't mean it like that!" he said as he watched her grab her red sweater off the back of her chair. "That's not what I said!"

She stopped and looked at him, her dark brown eyes staring deeply into his cool, blue ones. "You didn't have to Daniel," she said, in a calmer voice than before. "I know the only reason I got this job is because I was the one applicant that your dad didn't think you'd sleep with," she paused, quickly wiping a lone tear that had managed to fall from her face. "And what do know? His plan worked. Bradford Meade hired his shallow, playboy son an ugly assistant from Queens, and he was finally able to focus on his job...and not just ones that were happening under his desk," she added coolly.

Taken aback, Daniel couldn't think of anything to say, "Betty..." he started, stepping towards her, placing his hands on her shoulders.

"But just because I'm not _your_ type, doesn't mean no one else finds me attractive, or intriguing, or date-able, Daniel," she finished, clearly trying to hold back tears. With that, she pulled away from him and walked away, leaving him speechlessly standing in front of her desk, watching as she disappeared around the corner.

Daniel stood, motionless for a moment and finally walked back into his office and shut the door. He walked over to the chair that Betty had occupied moments before, picked it up and carried it back to it's place in the corner of the room. Then, a feeling of loneliness and fear crept over him, reminding him of his life before Betty, as he sank into the chair and bent over, cradling his head in his hands.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Thank you so much for all of your wonderful reviews! Someone asked how long this was going to be, and I think I have 2-3 more chapters, so we're almost done. Hope you enjoy this installment...**

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Daniel spent the rest of the day in his office. Even after Betty returned from lunch, he didn't dare emerge without a plan of action, fearful that he may end up digging himself into an even deeper hole. She buzzed him on the intercom whenever he had a phone call, saying nothing more than who was calling and what line.

At 5:00 he watched as she put on her sweater, grabbed her bag and disappeared around the corner, not even bothering to say goodbye. He sat in disbelief for a moment before hastily rushing out of his office and running towards the elevator. "Betty!" he shouted, just as she was stepping onto the elevator.

She heard him, but didn't move as she silently prayed that the elevator would shut before he made it over. _'No such luck,'_ she thought as Daniel stepped in just before the doors shut.

"Thanks for holding the door," he said sarcastically.

She was silent for a second. "Oops," was her dry remark.

"Betty..." he pleaded. "Just let me explain."

"There's nothing to explain, Daniel. In fact, you made yourself very clear earlier when --"

"Damnit, Betty!" he interrupted, shouting a bit louder than he intended as he punched the elevator door. He then hit the emergency button, jerking the elevator to an immediate stop. "Yes, there is something to explain," he began, as he stepped towards her. "You have to know that I didn't mean what I said earlier; you took it all the wrong way."

Betty stepped away from him. "Daniel, just don't, okay? Listen, it's all my fault."

He looked confused. "What? Not it's not," he said.

"Yes, it is. I was hired to be your assistant, Daniel, and lately our relationship has been anything but professional. We're at each other's houses in the middle of the night, hanging out on the Brooklyn Bridge together at 5 in the morning and we even pick things off each other's plates. I've let us become too good of friends," she paused, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. "I've let myself care about you too much.."

Daniel looked at her, bewildered as he leaned backwards against the wall of the elevator. "So...what are you saying?" he asked, his voice slightly shaking.

She turned around so that he couldn't see the tears filling her eyes. "I'm saying...we can't do this anymore. _I can't _do this anymore... We're letting our personal feelings get in the way of the job."

"Well, if that's what you want, I can't make you be my friend, Betty," he said as he stepped behind her and put his hands on her shoulders. "But I really hope you aren't going to leave me as my assistant, because we both know I'd be lost without you."

With that, she couldn't help but let the tears she had built up fall. She turned around, facing her boss and he put his hands back on her shoulders. "Daniel, you've come a long way. We both know when you started as Editor in Chief you wanted some beautiful, leggy assistant who didn't mind working on her hands and knees, as opposed to --"

"As opposed to what, Betty? A beautiful, smart assistant who _actually_ cares about me?" They both smiled. "Yeah, I was a bit of an idiot."

"Well, I wasn't going to put it quite like that...but yeah. You've really grown up. And more than once you've proven yourself very capable of running this magazine. I'm proud of you," she said.

"That means a lot coming from you. Thanks," he said, his hands still resting on her shoulders.

They looked into each other's eyes for a moment, and just when he couldn't stand the tension between them any longer, she pulled him into a deep hug. _'How does she always know exactly what I need, exactly when I need it?' _he thought to himself.

Without letting her go, he asked, "So, are you still gung-ho on this 'us not being friends' thing?"

She pulled back to face him, her arms still firmly wrapped around his neck. "Daniel, it's not that we can't be friends...we just need to step it back a little; not depend on each other so much. It's interfering with our jobs, and we can't let that happen. From 8 to 5, we can be friendly, but after that..." she pulled him back in close. "We need to punch out."

He didn't say anything, instead, he just held her tighter, fearing this may be their last hug.

After a few moments of silence she finally pulled away, wiping her eyes. "Okay, we should probably be going."

"Right," he whispered, still visibly upset. He pushed the emergency button back in and the elevator began moving down. When the doors opened, Betty stepped off. "You coming?"

"No, all of my stuff is still upstairs..." he said.

"Okay, well bye Daniel. See you tomorrow," she replied as she turned to walk away.

"See ya..." he mumbled. Then he shouted, "Betty!"

She turned around, "Yeah?" she asked.

"You know, even with you just as my assistant, I still consider myself the luckiest guy in this building. I don't deserve you, Betty."

She smiled, "Thanks Daniel. Goodnight."

He half-heartedly smiled back as the elevator doors closed.

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**Next chapter: Becks! Daniel agreed to keep it mostly just business, but will he keep his word when Becks & Betty go to lunch?!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Sorry it's taken so long for an update - I've just been really busy with Christmas and all. But hopefully this extra long chapter will make up for it! And hopefully I've redeemed Betty, making her more likable in this chapter! Please review and let me know what you think!**

* * *

Daniel took a deep breath as he stepped off the elevator.

"Good morning, _Daniel_," Amanda said in her usual sing-song voice that Betty often imitated during their one on one, late night sessions when the magazine was to be sent off for publication early the next morning.

"Good morning Amanda," he replied as he rushed past her desk before she could open her mouth again. As he turned the corner he saw Betty already on the phone, her back towards him. He stopped to whisper 'good morning' but remembered their conversation the day before and didn't say anything as he quietly snuck into his office.

* * *

"Okay, great. See you later," Betty said as she hung up the phone. She turned in her chair and noticed Daniel sitting at his desk, pretending to work. She half-smiled as she thought about how funny it was that she knew him so well. She grabbed a folder off of her desk and began to flip though it _'Well two can play that game,'_ she thought as she looked over the top of the folder at her boss.

She felt badly about their conversation the previous day. She had seen the hurt look in his eyes before the elevator doors separated them after she had told him that they could only be 'work friends' and she knew that she'd be lying if she denied that she hadn't felt the same way. However, he had hurt her first; with the things he had said. Sure, she knew that he did truly care about her and that he didn't always choose the right words to say what he meant, but still...it had hurt her, and the only way she knew how to handle it at the time was to hurt him right back.

After another minute or two of pretending to work, she finally stood and picked up the bagel and coffee off the edge of her desk and walked into her boss' office. "Knock, knock," she said, stopping at the doorway.

Daniel instantly whirled his chair around and smiled, "Good morning, Betty," he smiled. "Ah, good, I'm starving," he said with feigned surprise, as if he hadn't just secretly watched her grab the bagel from her desk and walk to the door.

She laughed and walked closer, sitting his breakfast on his desk. "Well, good...because here's your breakfast," she said with a nervous laugh.

Unsure of what more to say he smiled back at her and reached for the bagel and took a large bite. She nodded and turned and began to walk away. As she reached the doorway she turned and wrung her hands in front of her as she slowly stepped back towards his desk, "Daniel?" she said nervously.

"Yes Betty?" he asked, hoping she couldn't sense the eagerness in his voice as he struggled to swallow the large bite he had taken.

"I'm...really sorry about yesterday," she continued quietly, looking down at her hands. "I don't know what got into me, I just --"

He interrupted her, pushing his chair back and stood, "Betty, you don't have to apologize," he began as he stepped to the front of his desk where she stood, looking down at her feet, with her hands clasped behind her back. "If anyone needs to be apologizing here, it's me – we both know I'm the screw up in this relationship," he said with a laugh as he reached around her and grabbed her hands, bringing them forward.

She finally looked up at him and smiled.

"Does this mean you want to be my friend again?" he asked, a boyish grin spread across his face.

She gave him her 'Just for Daniel' smile and said, "Of course!" she said as she let go of his hands and wrapped her arms around his neck.

Daniel held her tightly with his left arm as he smoothed her hair with his right. After a moment he pulled back, leaving his arms still wrapped around her waist. "And Betty, I just want to make sure you know that I really, _really_ did _not_ mean the things you thought I was implying yesterday. And...if you call my best friend," he nodded towards her as a genuine smile spread across his face, "'four-eyed' or 'ugly' again...I'm gonna have to hurt you."

She didn't say a word, but she pulled him back in and held him tighter than before, "Okay, Daniel," she whispered in his ear.

"Ahem!" they heard from the doorway. As they broke their hug, they turned to face Alexis in the doorway. "Am I interrupting something?" she said smugly, a smile spread across her lips.

"Of course not. We were just..." Daniel trailed, unable to come up with a good excuse. "What's up Alexis?"

She raised an eyebrow as she stepped into the office, "I wanted to talk to you about setting up a time to meet with Mom's lawyer...if that's okay with Betty."

"Of course, yeah. I was just leaving," she said cheerily as she stepped around Alexis and headed back to her desk.

* * *

Three hours later, Alexis was still in his office, talking on her cell phone to the lawyer, leaving Daniel out of most of the planning. He sat at his desk, straining to hear what the man on the other side of the conversation was saying as Alexis paced back and forth in front of him.

As Alexis started back towards the right, he noticed Betty through the glass window smiling and talking animatedly at someone who was blocked by Alexis' tall frame. He rolled his chair slightly to the left to see who it was. He grimaced as he saw Becks perched on the edge of her desk. '_It's not Friday yet,'_ he thought to himself.

Alexis hung up the phone and looked down at her brother. She saw him glaring ahead and turned to see what had caught his attention. Surprised to see her brother's former bar-hopping buddy she turned back and asked, "What's Becks doing here?"

He continued staring ahead, his brow furrowed. "_Daniel_?" she said, stepping into his view. "_Hello_? Did you hear me?"

Daniel shook his head and looked up at her, "Sorry, what?" he asked as he tore his eyes away from the glass window.

"What's Becks doing here?" Alexis repeated, glancing back out at Betty's desk. "And talking to _Betty_?"

Daniel stood and combed his fingers through the back of his hair, "I don't know. I thought he was taking her to lunch on Friday, but maybe it was today," he replied stepping from behind his desk, facing his sister, so that he could see what was happening behind her.

"Oh, wow. I didn't really think she was his type," she noted, crossing her arms. "But I guess I never thought she was your type either, but..." clearly picturing the embrace she had interrupted earlier.

"Betty and I are just friends, Alexis. Nothing more," he responded, still staring over her shoulder.

She smiled smugly. "I know that's all you _are_, Daniel. But it's pretty clear how you feel about her."

"I don't know what you're talking about," he retorted as he shifted his eyes to face her, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"Hm. Okay Daniel," she teased as she turned to leave his office. He watched as she curtly nodded at Betty and finally turned the corner, out of sight.

Left in the middle of his office all alone, he looked out once more at Betty and Becks and finally walked out to greet his 'friend'.

"Becks, what are you doing here today? I thought you two weren't going out until Friday," he said, doing his best to fake enthusiasm.

Becks turned and stuck out his hand for Daniel to shake. "Turns out I have a business meeting that day. So, lucky for me, Betty agreed to go with me today," he said as he flashed her a smile.

"And we better get going so that I'll be back in time for that staff meeting this afternoon," Betty said, standing.

"Whatever you say, m'lady," Becks joked as she pulled her sweater on and began stepping away from her desk.

"See you later Daniel," Betty said as Becks joined her side.

"Later buddy," Becks added as he placed his hand on the small of her back.

"You two kids have fun now," Daniel replied through gritted teeth, hoping he didn't sound nearly as irritated as he felt, as he plastered a large grin on his face. He watched as Becks led Betty around the corner and out of sight. He stalked back into his office and sat on the cushioned bench sitting in the far corner. However, as soon as he sat, he jumped right back up, knowing he wouldn't be able to sit comfortably when his Betty was out with Becks. He leaned against the wall, out of view of the large glass window and lightly closed his eyes.

_'I know that's all you _are_, Daniel. But it's pretty clear how you feel about her,' _his sister's words echoed in his mind. Daniel shook his head and opened his eyes, stepping away from the wall. He looked out at his friend's empty desk when a blonde woman appeared, looked around, shrugged her shoulders and turned to leave.

Suddenly, Daniel got an idea. A crazy one – but he didn't have time to think it through. He sprinted out of his office, "Christina!" he shouted as the blonde turned to face him.

"Ah, Daniel. I didn't see you in there," she said with a smile. "What do you need?"

"I...um...wanted to talk to you," he began.

She raised her eyebrows, although a slight hint of concern showed on her face as her boss fumbled with his hands. "About what?"

"Um...designs," he replied quietly. "Yeah, designs, outfits...you know, stuff for next month's 'What's Hot' section," he continued, his voice becoming slightly higher with each word.

"Okay, sure," she said curiously. "You've never talked to me about it before, but why not. You can come on down to the closet with me," she continued as she turned to lead the way.

"Uh, you know I actually had something different in mind. You hungry? We can discuss it over lunch!" he said as he grabbed her arm and started leading her towards the elevator. "I have a great place in mind!"

"Ok-aayy," she replied incredulously as she followed him toward the elevator. _'This should be interesting,'_ she thought.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Sorry it's been a few days since the last update - I got caught up with another story. But hope you enjoy this chapter. I'm guessing there's probably 2 chapters left. Thanks to all my reviewers - you rock my world!**

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Christina curiously studied Daniel as he stared out the window. _'Constantly checking his watch. Drumming his fingertips on the door. Biting his lip.'_ she thought to herself. _'What is he up to?' _Finally she broke the silence. "So are you going to tell me what we're doing, Daniel? If you really want to discuss designs, that's fine. It's just that...you've never really cared before."

Daniel shifted nervously on the bench seat next to her and looked over at her with a sort of 'deer in the headlights' look. He quickly softened his expression and smiled. "Oh, well you know...you're in charge of the closet...I'm the editor in chief, and...well...we never really get the chance to talk – and..." he looked at his watch. "what better time than the present, right?" he added with a nervous smile.

She raised an eyebrow, "Sure," she replied with a smile.

"Good," he said as he turned back towards the window.

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Christina looked down at her watch. It had been seven minutes since the two had last spoken, so she decided to break the silence once more. "So...Daniel. Are we going to discuss designs?"

_Shit...I know nothing about designs! I really should have thought this through!'_ he thought to himself as he turned to face her. "Don't you want to wait until we get to the restaurant? We'll be there in a few minutes. I hear they have great..." he paused, racking his brain as he realized he knew absolutely nothing about the place. "...corn."

"Corn?" she asked incredulously.

"So I hear..." he said, as he rolled his eyes, remembering Becks' lame excuse to take Betty out.

Christina accepted the answer and turned to look out her own window when it clicked. She widened her eyes as she remembered her conversation the previous day with Betty. _The one about Daniel's old friend who was taking her out for corn on the cob in celebration of getting her braces off..._

A wide smile spread across her face as she slowly turned her head towards Daniel. "Daniel?" she asked.

He turned towards her, eyebrows raised, as if saying _'Yes?'_

"Not that I'm not terribly excited about this little impromptu meeting we're having...but, does this have anything to do Betty?" she asked, smugly.

Daniel stared, wide eyed at her, and then quickly turned his face back towards the window as he could do nothing to stop the sly smile slowly creeping over his face. Finally he let out a small laugh and put up his hands in defeat. "Okay, you caught me," he joked as he turned back to face her. "Which is probably good, because I had no clue what I was going to say about designs."

"Ah, ah, ah! Don't you try to steer away from the point here, mister!" she exclaimed, relaxing back towards the seat. "What's going on...with this whole 'Betty' thing?"

Daniel straightened his back, and put a serious look on his face. "She's my friend, and well...I know how Becks is. I just don't want to see her get hurt," he explained as she looked down at his watch, then craned his neck to see out the front window.

It was now Christina's turn to raise her eyebrows, as she cocked her head to the side.

"Ohh, don't give me that look!" Daniel said, laughing, as he turned his entire body to face her.

Christina's smug smile stayed firmly planted on her lips as she turned to face him and crossed her arms, "Betty's a big girl. She can take care of herself."

"I know – and I fully trust her judgment. But I also know the way he works...and I don't trust him. Not with her," he said, looking truly concerned.

Christina didn't fully buy it though. "Well, Daniel Meade..." The use of his full name caught his attention. "I think we all thought we knew how you worked...but none of us ever thought we'd see you fall for that little Latina spitfire from Queens..." she teased.

"Fall for her what? Wait – who's _'we all'_?" he spit out, crossing his arms.

"Only everybody!" she laughed. "We all know that when Betty's around, no one else matters. No one else's opinions, thoughts, experience...you'll always turn to Betty!"

Daniel opened his mouth to say something, but then stopped. He looked down, and then back over at Christina. "Oh my gosh..." he whispered. "You're right..."

"Well...yeah," she replied, quite unsure of what else to say.

After a moment of silence he jerked his head up, "How come no one ever told me?!"

She looked at him incredulously. "We thought you knew!"

After a moment, he resumed his previous position of staring out his window. Finally he turned back to Christina. "No, no. You're wrong. This is preposterous! I mean, me and Betty – no. We're just friends. That's it," he told her.

She just looked at him.

"Just friends," he said, more to reassure himself than to convince her.

"Okay, Daniel. Whatever you say," she finally responded, turning to face her own window.

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"Alright, Mr. Meade. Here we are," the driver said from the front seat.

"Thanks Jim," Daniel said, looking out the window. He watched as Becks led Betty through the front doors. He turned to Christina. "Perfect timing! C'mon, let's go," he said as he opened his door and stepped out.

Christina rolled her eyes and shook her head as she too opened her door and climbed out of the car.

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**Reviews are love...so please leave me some!**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Just so you all know that I haven't abandoned this story! I know this is a bit short, but no worries - the next chapter is already started! I just wanted to post this to give my readers something to read in the mean time. :) And thanks again for all of the reviews - you have no idea how stoked I was to get to 100!

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"Daniel! You're being a bit ridiculous, don't you think?" Christina whispered as they walked along the back wall of the restaurant.

He quickly turned lowered the menu that he was holding in front of his face, "Shhh! Don't say my name so loud!" He then grabbed her hand and pulled her along with him.

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"Thank you," he whispered the hostess as she sat them at a table in the far corner.

She looked at him wearily, "No problem. Your waitress will be right over," she said before turning and walking away.

Daniel scooted to middle of their corner booth and craned his neck, "This is perfect; we have a great view of them and there's no way they'll see us around that massive fish tank – especially with that fat guy right there at the table in front of us!" he giddily exclaimed in a loud whisper.

Christina raised an eyebrow at him. "Daniel, you don't have to whisper anymore."

He cleared his throat, "Right. Of course," he said as he grabbed the menu and pretended to study it, while every so often stopping to gaze at a giggling Betty sitting across the restaurant.

Christina took the opportunity to sneak a peek at Betty's date. She watched as Betty animatedly told Becks a story, and he began laughing. Christina then stole a glance at Daniel, who had abandoned the menu facade and was intently studying the duo.

"I don't know Daniel. As much as I've enjoyed our little covert mission, I think it may have been for nothing. Betty seems okay to me," she teased.

He tore his eyes away from Betty. "Yeah, well--"

"Hi, my name's Taylor and I'll be your server today! Are you ready to order?" a cute blonde said, standing at the edge of the table.

Daniel looked annoyed, as Taylor stood directly in his view of Becks and Betty. "Um, yeah. We'll start off with two Caesar salads," he said quickly, hoping she would move.

"Anything to drink, sir?" the girl said with a cheery smile.

"Water would be great," he said tersely, forcing a smile.

"No problem!" she said, stepping aside, allowing a full view of Becks giving Betty a bite of something from his plate.

"A scotch on the rocks for me, please," Christina said, glancing over at Daniel and noticing his clenching jaw.

Daniel pulled his eyes away from the disturbing image. "Make that two," he said, flashing Christina a nervous smile.


End file.
